Login-Screen
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Warlords of Draenor Beta: New Login Screen
With the newest patch to the Beta servers we're one step closer to what Warlords of Draenor will look like at release with this new login screen. As you can see, it hearkens back to the days of classic with the return of the Dark Portal, but changes it up with the signature red portal used by the Iron Horde to invade Azeroth and threaten both the Alliance and Horde with destruction. I like it. It's retro, but it also changes it up enough with the images of what's going on behind it and that red glow seething, it's very interesting. I really enjoy that, when I first come back to the login screen after clicking the cinematics button, the portal is dormant, and then bursts into red light again. It's a very neat effect. What are your thoughts?
Warlords of Draenor: New login screen music
Adriacraft is at it again, digging up new models and music from the latest build of Warlords of Draenor. One of the more notable datamined pieces is a brand-new login screen track, labelled Siege of Worlds. While it bears resemblance and shares sections with the previous login track found on the beta, this version feels much more complete and includes several sweeping, intriguing themes right along with the now-familiar beat of the Iron Horde's war drums. But perhaps the coolest part of the soundtrack starts at approximately 11 minutes into the piece. Long-time Warcraft fans should immediately recognize the familiar sounds of the human theme from Warcraft III, beautifully re-done with a triumphant flourish. It's a gorgeous new piece of music, but it's also a fantastic nod to one of Blizzard's beloved classics. Listen to the full theme above, and be sure to check out Adriacraft's channel for more from the Warlords beta.
Mists of Pandaria login screen revealed
Our good friends over at Wowhead found a special treasure included in the latest beta patch. That treasure? Nothing short of the Mists login screen. Veteran players know the login screen design is critically important, since we'll be staring at that sucker for the next two years. These are still images, so we don't know what the final animations might look like, but these gorgeous screenshots look like a pleasant change from WoW's previous dragons-and-yelling motif on login screens. Take a look at a hypothetical final behind the cut, and let us know what you think in comments.
Patch 4.2 PTR: New login screen temporary?
Animated and roaring Deathwing has been replaced on the PTR with a static image of the Aspect of Death. We do not know if it is the new login screen or if it only temporarily replaces the animated Deathwing-on-Stormwind motif we've grown to love. Why the change? We have no idea. It could be a temporary change while Blizzard works on an issue with the old login screen -- or perhaps it is the end of roaring, animated dragons when you log in to the game. The particular art used is gorgeous, obviously, and it's one of my favorite shots of Deathwing. The reasoning behind the change will most likely come out soon. Tin foil hat speculation puts it anywhere from people's having issues with the login screen and just not loving roaring dragons (even after the toning down of said roaring) to using a new login screen that reflects the next tier of raiding. We don't know! My guess is that we will know soon, however. The news is already rolling out for the upcoming WoW Patch 4.2! Preview the new Firelands raid, marvel at the new legendary staff, and get the inside scoop on new quest hubs -- plus new Tier 12 armor!
BlizzCon 2010: Day 2 round-up
Day 2 at BlizzCon 2010 saw the two most traditionally popular panels (the class Q&A and the general Q&A) go live, but there was plenty at the convention to keep you busy even if you were among the two or three people there not interested in developer panels. Liveblogs We liveblogged the World of Warcraft class Q&A and the World of Warcraft open Q&A panels and transcribed two previously unannounced DirecTV interviews with Greg Street (Ghostcrawler) and Tom Chilton. If you're looking for player complaints, developer snark or news on future game changes, you'll find 'em here. People, interviews and events Matticus caught up with Andy Salisbury for a preview the WoW magazine's third issue, and Anne Stickney interviewed both Richard Knaak and Christie Golden. Robin Torres put together a gallery of the items Blizzard auctioned off to benefit Child's Play, one of them a painting of characters in the upcoming DC Horde comic series. We also took lots of pictures of this year's art gallery. On a non-Blizzard note, someone took a nasty spill during Friday's dance contest. Friday recaps Lisa Poisso observed some happy realm meetups, we recapped an impressive costume contest, and Matticus wrote about the live raid and Paragon's ill-fated defense of Orgrimmar. Future content The Emerald Dream (or should we say Emerald Nightmare?) was confirmed as a future addition during the general Q&A. We don't know if it's going to be an expansion, a patch, a raid or something else, but developers promise that seeing it "is a matter of when, not if." New worgen cinematic The cinematic panel was a lovely peek at how the Blizzard team created the recently released Cataclysm cinematic, but it was also notable for the debut of long-missing cutscene that will power the Gilnean leveling experience forward. Revenge of the login dragon Angry about being voted out in favor of players' favorite candidate for warchief, Abesik Kampfire, the "login dragon" makes an ear-shattering return for the Cataclysm login screen. Closing ceremonies The Warcraft III and StarCraft II tournament winners were crowned (the WoW tournament was still in progress), and Paul Sams, Blizzard's chief operating officer, even started to talk a little about the company's new MMO ... or so we thought. %Gallery-105863% %Gallery-105843% %Gallery-105842% %Gallery-105858% BlizzCon 2010 is upon us! WoW Insider has all the latest news and information. We're bringing you liveblogging of the WoW panels, interviews with WoW celebrities and attendees and of course, lots of pictures of people in costumes. It's all here at WoW Insider!
BlizzCon 2010: Cataclysm login screen
The new Cataclysm login screen has been unveiled this weekend during BlizzCon 2010. Our hopes and prayers for a login screen without a screaming, ear-shattering dragon were all for naught. Deathwing is certainly much cooler than Sindragosa, so I'm sure we can live with it ... for a few weeks. After that, my mute button and I will be becoming close friends again.
Breakfast Topic: Logging into the expansion
This Breakfast Topic has been brought to you by Seed, the Aol guest writer program that brings your words to WoW.com. Imagine this: In the not-so-distant future, you fire up your computer, double-click the icon on your desktop, skim over the news page and then tentatively click that little magic button "Play." What greets your eye? The deeps of Deepholm? A roaring Deathwing in the style of Wrath? Or perhaps you see something more peaceful ... A shot of the leaner, greener Desolace, perhaps? As for myself, I would prefer a view of the Skywall. From what I've heard, it is supposed to be titan-esque, but more graceful and airy. ... Not to mention that if we see it from above, it will have the backdrop of the shimmering sands of Uldum and the Egyptian-style architecture. What could lie within these structures of air and sand? To me, it inspires a sense of mystery and awe that awaits in the Cataclysm. No matter what login screen we see come Cataclysm, we'll no doubt love it when it is first released. Sure, that feeling may fade or warp with time -- but for now, we can view our own version of the login screen through a lens of anticipation. Share with us: How do you see WoW's future login screen? What feelings is it supposed to inspire? Have you ever wanted to write for WoW.com? Your chance may be right around the corner. Watch for our next call for submissions for Breakfast Topics via Seed, the Aol guest writer program that brings your words to WoW.com. The next byline you see here may be yours!
Create a fluid transition from login window to desktop in two easy steps
I always thought it would be cool if you could customize the background image of the Mac's login screen. That's the image you see behind the login panel when you turn your Mac on (if you have disabled Automatic Login in System Preferences). Why? Because if I could have the login image match my desktop image it would create a more fluid transition if, when I entered my password, the login box would fade away and my desktop and all its items would seamlessly appear. Necessary? No. Cool? Heck, yeah! Until Apple gets around to building this functionality into the OS, I'm going to show you how to do it on your own. Step 1: Set your desktop background image. Open up 'Desktop and Screen Saver' in System Preferences and select your desired desktop image.
Theming the login page
Toussaint is exactly right -- this took me back. Way back to the original login screen and music, when level 60 was the max and everyone was running UBRS and the Plaguelands instances, and "heroic" was just something us players were. Even the Burning Crusade login screen, right, brings back some memories, of wandering around Hellfire Peninsula and raiding in Netherstorm. The roar of the frost wyrm we have now is nice and all, but sometimes we long for earlier days.Which brought me to the question: what about a theme-switching system? There's no real reason the login screen has to be set to the current expansion -- while it's nice to have a new look to that interface every time we reinstall the program, there's nothing the new one really does that the old one couldn't. You'd think they'd be easy to change around, and if Blizzard just gave us a drop-down switcher in the options, we could choose whichever one we wanted.Let's not forget, however, that their code is weird -- you wouldn't think that they'd hard-wire the new Battle.net login code to the newest login screen, but maybe they did something silly like that, which would probably mean we'll never see the "classic" login screen again. But still, if there's a way to do it, it would be nice to see that old portal and hear that rousing anthem yet again.
Wrath of the Lich King login screen video
There is a new addition to the login screen for Wrath of the Lich King tonight. A large dragon, which was previously just a white mesh, swipes down from the sky and roars at you as you log in. It is a very cool addition to the otherwise bland login screen.I was able to capture the video above, and the audio you hear is just as I hear it. I expect there to be a "roar" or something else eventually inserted for the dragon. Nonetheless, it's quite a neat feature. You can also watch a high quality version via YouTube.The new beta build just came out tonight, so stay tuned for more info and analysis as we get it all collected together.
Blizzcast Episode 4 reveals Warcraft information and insights
Blizzcast episode 4 is now live and available for listening, and with it, of course, has come a wealth of new World of Warcraft Information. Some of it is stuff we've gotten wind for before, but there's some interesting insights into the whole game. You can listen to it here and read the transcript here, or join us after the break for a breakdown of the juiciest information from the Interviews
Wrath of the Lich King login screen
While we've had some fake Wrath of the Lich King login screens before, this one is the real deal. It's being reported on by numerous sites, and several people have confirmed its authenticity. The image itself is of a ice fortress. You can see the version, 3.0.1, along with the latest build number and date: July 15, 2008.Many people will notice that you have to sign in via an email address. This is part of a new system that Blizzard has put into place for the Wrath beta. Essentially, you'll have to create a new "Blizzard Account" to log into the beta. This account is separate from your retail WoW account, however you still have to have a retail WoW account and a beta key to get one. There's not a ton of information out on the new account system they are using for this, but when we have more information on it we'll post it.For now, enjoy your new login screen!
Blizzard's maintenance interrupts some website features
The WoW login screen acknowledges that some services may be intermittently unavailable due to "website maintenance and upgrades." As we've reported, Blizzard sites have experienced maintenance periods earlier this week. The current news blurb says that they are working on the web infrastructure to provide "new features" and "increased performance and security." The features impacted are: account creation password recovery paid character transfer adding payment The message says that these services may be unavailable "intermittently." It does not indicate how long the website maintenance will continue, but promises to provide updates. The maintenance is also confirmed on Blizzard's home page.
New WotLK screenshots leaked [Updated]
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/New_WotLK_screenshots_leaked'; A poster on the mmo-champion forums has found several leaked screenshots from the alpha of Wrath of the Lich King. While not all screenshots the original poster produced are real, WoW Insider has learned from an inside source that a number of them are very similar to what the actual alpha looks like and appear to be legitimate. While this isn't an official confirmation from Blizzard, it is about as good as we'll get for any leaked screenshot for the time being.The images are of various places around what looks to be Utgarde Keep. Additionally, there is a very real looking screenshot of the alpha installation package. Sources tell me this is very close to what is on the docket at Blizzard, again lending credibility to these leaks.Stay tuned to WoW Insider for all the latest Wrath of the Lich King information. Click the gallery below to see the full leaked sets.Updated 12:53 a.m. EDT: Login screen was a fake. Removed. However, other screenshots still stand up with our sources. Thanks to Aichon, Kyraa, and our sources for helping clear up which images are real and which are fake.Updated 11:00 p.m. EDT April 21st: Most of these images came from Two Hammers over at Gamebunny from his Blizzcon 2007 trip. However, still good screenies for people to enjoy.%Gallery-21057% Check out more information on WoW's upcoming expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, including Blizzard's recent interview about Northrend and the new creatures that infest of Northrend. Plus, a visual guide to what we know about Death Knights so far.
